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My Yorkshire: Michael Bannister
Michael Bannister is president of the Yorkshire Agricultural Society, which is best known as organiser of the Great Yorkshire Show and Countryside Live.
Although he describes himself as a 'pure-bred Lancastrian' – the Bannisters are one of Lancashire's oldest and most distinguished families – he has spent his adult life in Yorkshire. In 1968, he bought the 1,500-acre Coniston Estate, near Gargrave and later established the popular Coniston Hotel. He is Senior Joint Master of the Pendle Forest & Craven Hunt.
What's your first memory of being outdoors in Yorkshire?
It was about 1941 when I was eight or nine years-old and a pupil at Malsis School, near Cowling. We were sledging in deep snow on a great hill coming down from what we called Cowling Pinnacle. A really magical time.
What's your favourite part of the county and why?
I would have to say Coniston Cold, where we live. It is the most wonderful part of Yorkshire with views stretching right up the dale to Malham Cove. There's a lot of wildlife and – above all – the people of the village and in farms round about are wonderful as well as being great friends. I've lived here for 40 years. I ride there on horseback a great deal, sometimes up to 10 miles in a day.
What is your idea of a perfect weekend/day out in Yorkshire?
We live in the middle of the country but I love the sea. I'm bit of a frustrated sailor. So, one of the things we like to do is go across to the Whitby area. There are some very good restaurants there, such as The Magpie, and we have great walks on the beach. It's so totally different from the environment we have here at Coniston. Whitby has so much character, with the Abbey on the hill and the busy harbour. It is quite a simple, ungrand sort of place and we love it.
Do you have a favourite walk or view?
Again, it's around Coniston. We created an arboretum and walking around that is wonderful. From it we have marvellous views up the dale to Malham or across to Rylstone Cross and all the moors round about.
Which Yorkshire sportsman/woman would you take for lunch?
The racehorse trainer Mick Easterby, of Sheriff Hutton, near Malton. He's a great trainer, a wonderful horseman, a fearless man across country while hunting, and he's also a great character.
Which Yorkshire stage or screen star would you like to take for lunch?
It would be Alan Bennett. He used to pop into the restaurant at our hotel quite a lot because he has a house on the other side of Settle at Clapham. He has a lot of humour, and when you think of the amazing things that he's written he must be a really fascinating person.
If you had to name your Yorkshire hidden gem, what would it be?
We've been very lucky because we have some moorland in what is known as Bront country, and there's a place
called Top Withens which is actually said to be the location of Wuthering Heights. We have a barn up there, which is now converted into a little lodge. It's truly idyllic with beautiful views, heather all around and grouse calling in the background. There's a certain Bront romance about the place with its wildness and ruggedness.
What do you think gives Yorkshire its unique identity?
The thing about Yorkshire is the uniqueness of its people. They do call a spade a spade, but I think they are also incredibly hardworking, very competitive and very true friends – they are people one can always trust.
Yorkshire folk are a unique race, if that's the right word! And terribly loyal to their county.
Do you have a favourite restaurant or pub?
Well, we do have our own restaurant here, which we have created as the kind of place where we ourselves would look forward to dining. But sometimes we go to a little restaurant in Skipton called Le Caveau. It's always good, always welcoming.
How do you think Yorkshire has changed in the time you've known it?
I think Yorkshire has moved with the times and yet always retained its individuality. It has maintained its countryside, and the Dales have a beauty that is so different to anywhere else in the world. Its cities, like Leeds, may have become very modern and yet they have kept their Yorkshire character. Also – I would like to blow the trumpet here, if I may – the county still has the finest agricultural show in Britain. The Great Yorkshire is very much a beacon about what we are about. It's our shop window, but it also brings together all the facets of what goes on in Yorkshire.
Who is the Yorkshire man/woman you most admire?
Michael Parkinson is a rather interesting man. He's very much a Yorkshireman, and clearly finds his roots are very important to him. I admire the fact that he's always been true to his Yorkshire background. He also has this great breadth of experience and, of course, he's an incredibly good interviewer.
How has Yorkshire influenced your work?
Developing and running this estate at Coniston couldn't have been done without the people who work here. I'd say 95 per cent of them are from local farms, villages and towns, and these are the people who have influenced me more than anything. They've been hard-working, loyal, and have a sense of humour. So it's the Yorkshire people who have influenced my work.
Name your favourite Yorkshire book/author/artist/performer.
I love Wuthering Heights by Emily Bront. It's a most wonderful story. On the artist side, a great friend of ours is Kitty North, from Broughton Hall. She's done a lot of pictures for us. She can grab the moment in her work and produces a lot of fascinating pictures. Some of them are quite wild sort of things. Musically, I would say the Settle and Giggleswick Brass Band. They come here to Coniston to perform at all sorts of functions, and they also play at our village church's annual carol service.
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Weather for Yorkshire
Saturday 26 May 2012
Today
Sunny
Temperature: 8 C to 21 C
Wind Speed: 17 mph
Wind direction: East
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Sunny
Temperature: 9 C to 22 C
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